Hurrell surprised by long shot in big race
SOUTHLAND reinsman Mark Hurrell scored his first trotting win in the country’s most soughtafter trotting race for junior drivers on Thursday night.
Hurrell won the Darren De Filippi Memorial at Addington with $22 outsider Redwood Invasion in a close finish with runnersup Ruthless Kayla and John Morrison.
The win gave Hurrell a surprise victory in a highly regarded feature and ended his patient wait to notch a squaregaiting winner.
‘‘I had been waiting a while and it was a bit unexpected to win with a horse paying that much money.
‘‘Everybody tries to get a good horse to drive to try to win that race.’’
The win brought up Hurrell’s 14th victory this season, a tally he hopes to add to before this term is over.
‘‘Every win is good. I am just trying to get as many drives and as many wins as I can before the season ends,’’ he said.
‘‘Hopefully, I can sneak a couple in before the season ends.’’
Hurrell has travelled to Canterbury to chance drives extensively this season. With the Southland harness racing season having finished, he has taken the opportunity to base himself there, working for trainers Peter and Tom Bagrie at their Ohoka stables.
Hurrell has worked for Wyndham trainer Brendon McLellan for the past five years.
The reinsman got success for a Canterbury stable at Forbury Park on Thursday night.
He took out the last heat of the Forbury Park Junior Drivers Series with Omar Sharif.
Hurrell led all the way from barrier 1 with the Regan Todd-trained pacer and held off the late challenge of his stablemate Possente Cavallo.